johnson



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. G. JOHNSON.

ORE SEPARATOR.

INVENTOR SSBS N. PETERS PholuLilhvgmphflr. Washington. D. c.

ORE SEPA-RATOR.

- Patented Dec. 6,1881.

N. PETERS. Pholo-Lv'moguphw, Wahinglon, o. c.

UNITE STATES PATENT Fries.

FRANK G. JOHNSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. i

ORE-SEPARATO R.

SPEGIFI GATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,544, datedDecember 6, 1881. Application filed August 19, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK G. J OHNSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State ofNew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ore-Separators,of which the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

Myinvention relates to that class of machines for separating ores knownas dry separators.

The general plan upon which my device is constructed and the principlesupon which it operates are such as to submit the properly pulverizedores to a process of tumbling and at the same time to the action of twoseparate currents or blasts of air, the one blast being made to act overthe surface of the pulverized ores, while the other blast acts frombeneath the bed on which the ores are being tumbled.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a transverse view throughthe line :v w of Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a longitudinal elevation through theline 3 y of Fig. 1 Fig. 3, a general view, with certain parts removed tobring to view other parts, as will be hereinafter explained; Fig. 4, anenlarged view through the line 2 z of Fig. 3.

Like letters refer to like parts.

A detailed description of the several figures and the parts which theyseverally represent is as follows:

A is a cylinder, of suitable diameter and length, with-open ends,mounted on the journals J and d, which are held by the uprights of theframe F. This cylinderis free to be rotated upon its journals by meansof a belt pass ing around it, or other suitable contrivance. At P 1?this cylinder projects over and surrounds the end of the dome-shapedfunnel B with a close-fittin g but working joint. This cylinder Aconsists of several parts, and it is peculiarly constructed.

First. a a, its outer wall, is a simple plain cylindermadeofanysuitablematerial,as wood, or sheet or boiler iron.

Second. dd d are longitudinal strips of wood, placed at suitableintervals from each other, but breakingjoints, iusteadof each oneextending the whole length of the cylinder, and are fastened to theinner surface of the outer cylinder, a. a a.

Third. I) 1) bis a cylinder of lattice-work, consisting of wooden ormetallic strips, willowwork, or wire, or strings, or very coarse cloth,and is securely fastened to the wooden bars at dd.

Fourth. g g g is a cylinder of flannel cloth of the proper texture,which rests on the lattice-work b b b, and with it is fastened to thebars (1 d d by means of the screws h h h, Fig.

4. This lattice-work b I) b and flannel cloth g g 9, taken together forconvenience, may be termed the inner wall of the cylinder A, and a a athe outer wall.

Fifth. c e e are thin ribs at suitable intervals from each other, withtheir outer edges fastened to the inner surface of the inner cylinder,which ribs extend from one end to the other of the cylinder, and passaround in the cylinder in a diagonal or spiral direction, like thethread of a common nut.

Sixth. '5 i i are thin and quite narrow strips placed at considerabledistancefrom each other, and standing in a line with the cylinder, andbetween the spiral ribs 6 c e, with their outer edges resting on theinner surface of the inner cylinder, and their inner edges directed tothe central line of the cylinder. The spiral ribs 1: e e and thelongitudinal strips it 1' may be fastened to the inner surface of theinner cylinder in various ways-for instance, by means of angle-irons b battached thereto and fastened to the wall of the inner cylinder bysimple bolts b I), as shown in Fig. 4.

Seventh. c c 0 represent the space between the outer and innercylinders.

Eighth. f f f represent the spiral spaces between the spiral ribs 6 e c.

Ninth. The outer and inner cylinders are so joined together at the twoends as to form an air-chamber between the outer .and inner cylinders,as shown in thedrawings, Figs. 2and 3. Tenth. Z Z Z, Fig. 3, are smallopenings through the outer cylinder, at a a, at or near the right-handend, and fora short distance back from this end of the cylinder,opposite to these openings l l l, the flannel cloth is omitted, forreasons hereinafter explained.

B is a dome-shaped cap or funnel, which covers the left end of thecylinder A, the stanchion of the corresponding end of the frame Fpassing up through its lower side and. fitted therein air-tight. At thecenter of the outer or dome end of the funnel B is a suitable tubularopening, B, for the object hereinafter explained.

D D is an air-pipe passing through the lower side of the tunnel B andthrough the journal-box d, and after passing through the journal-box dit divides or branches and extends in opposite directions to andcommunicates with the air-chamber between the outer and inner cylinders,as indicated by the arrows opposite to P 1?. Within this journalbox atthis air-pipe D D is cut or divided transversely, as shown by the darkline at, Fig. 3, to admit of the rotating, of the cylinder A.

C is a suitable hopper, into which is placed the suitably-pulverized orewhich is to be separated.

O is the feed-pipe or passage-way from the hopper to the interior of thecylinder A.

G is a suitable faucet or gate, which can be more or less opened toregulate the flow of the ore to the cylinder A. This faucet or gate canbe constructed in various ways.

There are to be attached to the air-tube'D D and the tubular opening Bin the funnel B suitable air-forcing machines, as steam fanblowers orair-pumps or reservoirs of compressed air constantly supplied undersuitable pressure, bymeans of which a sufficiently powerful current orblast of air can be produced, for the purposes hereinafter explained.

The specific function of each of the several parts of my device and thegeneral operation of the machine are described as follows:

The machine is set in motion by steam or other powerby rotating thecylinder A and forcing a'powe'rful current of air into the pipes D D andB, Figs. 2 and 3. Then the valve or gate 0 is opened and the pulverizedore is admitted into the cylinder A.

Theoperation and effect of the machine upon the ore are:

First. To blow a large portion of all the lighter and worthless materialdirectly through the cylinder A by the direct blastor current of airdriven'into the air-tube B, Figs. 2 and 3, while the heavier andvaluable portion of the material falls on the lower side of the interiorof the cylinder, still mixed with worthless matter.

Second. That portion of theore not blown directly through and out of thecylinder is rolled and tumbled upon itself by the rotating of thecylinder, the effect of which is to bring the lighter and worthlessportions to the top and'leave the heavier and valuable parts: at

the bottom, which submits the lighter and worthless portion to thedirect blast of air, which is constantly carrying portions of it throughthecylinder. This tumbling process goes on until the spiral ribs 0 c ehave worked it along from the left hand to the right hand, or from theingress to the egress end of the cylinder.

Third. The purpose of the thin narrow 1ongitudinal strips 6 i 2' betweenthe spiral ribs e e e is to partially lift up the material as thecylinder revolves, so as to cause a portion of it (more or less) to fallacross the space within the cylinder, to better enable the direct blastof air through the cylinder to catch and blow out still more of thelighter and worthless portions of it, as it (the mass of ore) is beingmechanically worked along through the cylinder.

Fourth. To still further separate thelighter and worthless part of theore from the heavier and valuable portion constitutes the object of theinner cylinder and the outer current or blast of air which passesthrough the air-pipe D D into the space or air-chamber c c c between theouter and inner cylinders. That portion of the mass of ore which is notat first and ultimately carried directly through and out of the cylinderby the direct blast through the pipe B is also submitted, as it (theore) is being worked along and tumbled upon itself within the spiralspaces between the spiral ribs 6 e e, to a powerful blast or current ofair from underneath itself, which most effectually blows up into thecentralpart of the cylinder all the remaining lighter and worthlessportions, which, in turn, are caught by the direct blastor currentthrough B and carried through and out of the cylinder.

'Fifth. By the time a given quantity of ore has passed from the ingressto the egress end of the cylinder the combined effect of the tumbling ofthe ore and its exposure to the direct blast and indirect or under blastof air will have not only separated the lighter and worthless portionst'rom the heavier and valuable portions, but itwill have carried all theworthless portions of the ore through and out of the cylinder, and leftthe heavy and valuable portions resting in the cylinder along betweenthe spiral'ribs e e 0.

Sixth. As the cylinder is continuously fed with theme and kept revolvingand supplied with the two separate blasts of air, the heavy and valuableportions of the ore will finally accumulate and be worked along bythe'spiral ribs 6 e eand at last be deposited through the small openings1 l I, Fig. 3, near the egress end of the cylinder, after passingthrough the inner wall of the cylinder, where the flannel cloth is left011' for this purpose 5 and where the flannel cloth terminates atransverse air-tight partitionym m, Figs. 2 and 3, is placed between theouter and inner walls of the cylinder, to prevent the blast of airbetween the two walls from passing out of the holes l Z Z.

Seventh. What small part of the valueless portion of the ore may remainin the'cylinder by the time it reaches these small openings 1 ll will bethe coarser bits, which will not pass through the finer lattice-work atthis end of the inner wall of the cylinder A, but will be ejected out ofthe cylinder by its rotating, while the heavy and valuable particles ofthe ore, being very finely triturated, will pass through the finerlattice-work at this end of the inner wall and be deposited between thetwo walls, and thence pass out of the cylinder through the smallopeningsl Zlin the outer wall of the cylinder A.

Eighth. If it is found more effective to break the blast of the outercurrent of air, or the direct blast, or both, and so cause a broken andsudden action of either or both blasts of air, this can be easilyprovided for by any suitable method for suddenly cutting off and lettingon the currents or blasts of .air. To hasten or retard the passage ofthe ore through the spiral spaces ff f between the spiral ribs 0 e c, asoccasion may require, it is only necessary to raise or lower the frame Fat one or the other end.

I do not limit myself to a perfectly round cylinder, as the cylinder Amay be formed of several flat sides, making a sort of polygonalcylinder, and thereby produce the same, if not slightly better, results.

I am aware that the application of puffs or a current of air to thelower surface of pulverized ore while it (the ore) is being agitated inan open vessel for the purpose ot' separation is not new. Therefore I donot claim, broadly, the application of a current of air to the lowercylinder, leaving an air-chamber, c c 0, between the two walls ofthe twocylinders, theinner Wall being composed of the lattice-work b I) b and aflannel or other suitable cloth, ggg, substantially in the manner andfor the purposes described.

2. In an ore-separator, the combination of the lifting-strips i i i, thespiral ribs 6 e e, and double-walled cylinder A, substantially in themanner and for the purposes set forth.

3. In an ore-separator, the combination of the funnel B, air-pipe B,air-pipe D D, feed 'pipe or box 0, and double-walled cylinder A,

substantially in the manner and for the purposes described. a

. FRANK G. JOHNSON.' Witnesses:

J NO. J. MALMAR,

N. O. HALSTED.

